Process for the quick drying or cinematographic films and the like.



E. PLANCHAT.

PROCESS FOR THE QUICK DIRYING 0F CINEMATOGRAPHIC FILMS AND THE LIKE.

APPLICATION FILED NOV. I8. I915.

mama??? Patented July 3, 1917.

I I I I I I l I I I I I I I I I I l l l l I I I I I I I I I I I I I I JL HNIII IIIIII |I 0V: I I I I I I I I IIK; I I I I I I I I I I I I IIIVI I I I I I I .II \IIIII .HHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHIH wI IIIIA, I I I I IIL. I I I I I I I I I I I I I I II IIIIIKMJL n E: I II I I I I I I I I I I I II R/ N @I r I I I I I I I I I I I II I I I I II I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I II.

EUGENIO PLANCHAT, OF TUBIN', ITALY.

rzeocnss roe THE QUICK DRYING or cinnnnirocnarn c FILMS AND THE LIKE.

Specification of Letters JPatent.

Patented July 3, 1911?.

Application filed November 18, 1915. Serlallfl'o. 62,201

To all whom it may concern.

Be it known that l, EUGENIO PLANGHAT, engineer, a citizen of France,residing at Turin, Italy, have invented certain new and usefulImprovements in Processes for the Quick Drying of (Jinematographic Filmsand the like; and I do hereby declare the following to be a full, clear,and exact description of the invention, such as will enable othersskilled in the art to which it appertains to make and use the same,reference being had to the accompanying drawings, and to letters orfigures of reference marked thereon, tion.

The object of the present invention is a process and device. for thequick drying of cinematographic films, and the like.

The drying of cinematographic films was till now obtained by having saidfilms cross a hot air drying room. As, however, the quantity of liquidadhering to the film on its coming out from the baths and the quantityimbuing the layer of gelatinis considerable,- the result was that thetime required by the operation of drying was very long, being necessaryfor the film to have along run within the drying room, great dimensionsbeing required for the latter, before all the liquid was dried.

Now, grace to the present invention, and to the purpose to reduce theduration of the process of drying and the dimensions of the drying roomin a remarkable way, the whole of the liquid adhering to the film andthe greatest part of the liquid imbuing the layer of gelatin are.removed before its entering the drying room. Such an elimination isobtained by submitting the film, when c0ming out from the baths, to anenergetic compressing action which is obtained by having the film passthrough a bath, of mercury, or fluid amalgam, placed in a verticalvessel, having a convenient height, divided, by means of an intermediatewall or division, into two compartments, communicating between eachother at, the bottom of the said vessel, one of which compartments isdestined to contain the descending wet portion of the film, and theother the nearly dry portion of the ascending film. Owing to theconsiderable specific weight of mercury, or fluid amalgam, the portionof wet film descending into the first compartment, under goes acompressing action which is in direct proportion with the reached depth,and

'tained in the vessel.

which form a part of this specificawhich may be elevated to any degreeof pressure, by suitable choosing of the height of the mercury or fluidamalgam bath con- .Under the action of such a pressure, the whole of theliquid adhering-to the film and the greatest part of the one imbuing thelayer of gelatin is removed and rises-to float on the surface of thebath of mercur or fluid amalgam, in the first compartment, whence itgoes out through an overflow pipe. The film, which is nearly fully drwhen coming up out of the second compartment, is conveyed, in the usualway, into and runs for a short run, through a usual small sized hot airdrying room where drying is completed within a very short time.

From the above it will be readily understood that apparatus foreffecting the drying in accordance with what has been above stated maybe given many forms.

Theaccompanying drawing shows schematically andby 'way of example one ofmany forms of such an apparatus In such a drawing, 1 represents thevertical vessel destined to contain the bath -2- of mercury, or fluidamalgam. The said vessel is divided into two compartments -1', 1"- bymeans of the intermediate wall -1-- descending nearly as far as thebottom of the vessel itself. The film ,3, conveyed and guided by meansof rollers 4, which are suitably placed, is run through the bath --2 ofmercury, or fluid amalgam, putting same, by any means, into motion inthe direction shown by the arrows. The portion of the wet film whichdescends along the first compartment, is submitted, by the action ofthe'mercury, or fluidamalgam, to an energetic compression, which isproportional to the reached depth, so that the whole of the liquidadhering to the film and the greatest part of theliquid imbuing thelayer of gelatin, is removed. Such a liquid comes up and floats in 5 onthe surfaces of the mercury, or fluid amalgam, in the compartment -l--,whence it is discharged through the overflowing pipe -6. The nearly dryfilm, coming up along the compartment -1-, comes outside and is conveyedto any drying room where drying is completed.

Claims:

1. The method of drying cinematographic films or thelike which consistsin passing a wet'filin downward through a column of unheated mercury, orfluid amalgam, of aheight capable of exerting suflicient pressure on thefilm to remove the liquid adhering thereto and o squeeze therefrom thegreatest part of f 1e liquid imbuing the film.

2. The method 0f drying cinematographic films or the like which consistsin passing a wetfilm downward through a column of unheated mercury, orfluid amalgam, of a height capable of exerting suifieient pressure onthe film to remove the liquid adhering thereto and to squeeze therefromthe greatest part of the liquid imbuing the film, and draining off fromthe top of the column the liquid separated from the film.

3. The method of drying cinematographic films or the like, whichconsists in passing a wet film downward through one of two columns ,ofunheated mercury, or fluid amalgam, of a height capable of exertingsuflicient pressure on the film remove the liquid adhering theret osqueeze therefilm upward through the second vertical col-.

umn which is so separated from the first column as to prevent liquidextracted from the film in the first column from contacting with the.film in passing from the top of the second column, and draining ofifrom the top of the first column the liquid as it accumulates thereon.

In testimony'that I claim the foregoing as my invention, I have signedmy name in presence of two subscribing witnesses.

EUGENIO PLANOHAT.

Witnesses FRANCENO SIMONI, GoLvENA L. FEYLES.

